Artist: Behind Blue Eyes
Title: Behind Blue Eyes
Label: Iboga
Format: CD
Released: November, 2005


Review:

Straight from the Iboga lab in Denmark, undoubtly THE progressive psytrance label at the moment, comes a fresh album from the new and fairly unknown duo Behind Blue Eyes. The involved people are no newcomers to the scene though, one being Rene from the project Beat Bizarre, which is one of the most important acts in the Iboga roster, and the other being Banel - internationally acclaimed DJ, one of the co-founders and owners of Iboga Records, and also previously a part of Fabel.

The duos first and only release under the Behind Blue Eyes project before this album, was the track \"Goose Bump\" on Ibogas \"Playground\" compilation, and quite frankly I found it a bit of a letdown - let\'s see if the full length album can provide something more interesting.


01. Excerpts From Dreams [135 BPM]
Kicking of the album is \"Excerpts From Dreams\", starting with a short intro before the somewhat hollow bassline kicks in after around 30 seconds. The track is quite minimal with only a small hint of a melody, and with a groove that’s a bit too basic and static for my liking. As an opening track, I frankly didn\'t find it engaging enough.

02. Remember This [133 BPM]
\"Remember This\" is slightly darker than the opener, with a hard and slightly tribal, static groove. A simple melody starts after 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and unfortunately seems a bit distracting to me, being to harsh and dominant. Some almost oldschool pads enter around halfway through the track, and work quite well, but overall the track doesn\'t stand out among the best.

03. Shadow Environment [133 BPM]
Now, this is where the album really starts in my opinion. \"Shadow Environment\" feels much more complete than the two previous tracks, and the sound seems richer and with more depth. It reminds me of Beat Bizarres \"Milk Tooth\", but in a slower, groovier version, and with some really nice percussion. Definitely a mighty fine track.

04. Sunshine [133 BPM]
Well, the title of this track says it all really. \"Sunshine\" is uplifting from the first second with loads of bright sounds and naïve melodies, giving it a really cheerful daytime atmosphere. It isn\'t until the breakdown around halfway through it really starts to shine though, with the appearance of some very delightful pads. Yet another fine track.

05. Brumbasse [133 BPM]
\"Brumbasse\" (Danish for \"Bumblebee\") continue with the daytime/morning sound, taking it one step further with an even more trancy touch. There\'s less focus on the bassline than in the first 4 tracks, and the atmosphere is stellar, with stunning heavily reverbed synth stabs, beautiful pads and an utterly sweet piano-melody. A really awesome tune with an emotional, almost epic touch - definitely my favourite tune on the album.

06. As Sugar Dissolves [133 BPM]
A laidback groove keeps \"As Sugar Dissolves\" rolling nicely, and some sweet pads are present for most part of the track, but they really kick in, in full effect with around 3 minutes left of the track. Doesn\'t quite live up to the predecessor \"Brumbasse\", but is a nice track though - at times reminiscent of some of the material from Phony Orphants \"Symphony\" album.

07. The Epitome [128 BPM]
After some 4 good tracks, \"The Epitome\" slows things down, going into the slightly housier realm, yet maintaining the Behind Blue Eyes sound. It starts very deep and somewhat gloomy with a drone sound, and slowly develops and gets less and less dark. It never gets really appealing though, and to me it\'s one of the least interesting tracks here.

08. Rumble In The Jungle [135 BPM]
\"Rumble In The Jungle\" picks up the pace quite a bit, and is one of the most intense tracks on the album, with a fast, rolling tribal groove. The attitude is quite serious, leaning towards the dark and gloomy, and \"Rumble In The Jungle\" is a very appropriate title for this track - I can imagine it would go down quite well in a storming progressive forest set. Solid dance floor track.

09. Brumbasse (Emok Remix) [133 BPM]
To finish the album Banels partner in Iboga Records, Emok, member of Phony Orphants, take on the task of remixing \"Brumbasse\". Emok didn\'t change much on the remix though; it\'s more or less the same despite some polishing here and there, and generally giving it a slightly housier, groovier and less trancy touch - but it suits the track well, and is a great bonus to the album.


Bottom line:

With the album \"Behind Blue Eyes\", the new duo will certainly establish themselves as a progressive psytrance act to look out for. The sound is very distinct, and has a raw and somewhat dirty, unique touch compared to a lot of progressive on the market - naturally it\'s fairly close to Beat Bizarre, but definitely brighter, more daytime-oriented and with some tribal elements. As an album it does have its flaws though, the biggest being the slow start with the two first, quite disappointing tracks.

All in all \"Behind Blue Eyes\" is a pretty good album though. It doesn\'t sound nearly as formulated as a lot of releases on the market at the moment, and contains a good amount of stand-out tunes. Certainly worth checking out.


Favourites:

3, 4, 5 (!!), 6, 8, 9


Verdict:

7,5/10


Link:

Iboga Records: www.iboga.dk


Review by:

Jannick Andersen // pr0fane
Website: www.sunrisesupplies.com
Label: www.dance-n-dust.com